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WILLIAM T.- CHAMBERLAIN, OF NORWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORTO HIMSELF AND JAMES W. CHAMBERLAIN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Leiters Patent No. 74,046,6Zated February 4, 1868.

. IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-ENGINES.

T0 ALL PERSONS TO WHOM THESE -PRESENTS MAYv COME:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T; CHAMBERLAHQ of Norwich, in the county of New London, and `State 4of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Steam-Engines; and'I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification, and represented'in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l denotes a vertical and longitudinal section, and

Figure 2 a transverse section of an engine constructed with my improvements. r

It has one long straight cylinder A, open at each end, and provided at its middle with a movable circular partition, whosecircnm'erence is grooved to contain packing a a. 'It also-has a groove, extending in and around such circumference, such groove being to receive the pointed ends of two' or more clampscrews c c, screwed into the cylinder and against the circumference of the movable partition B, the same being as shown in fig. 2. These screws serve, with the groove 6,' to hold the partition in pla-ce within the cylinder. By having a movable partition'made and applied to the cylinder, in manner as sct forth, a single cylinder may be used, it

being easier to bore a single cylinder to one uniform diameter, and with a straight axis, than to bore two separate cylindersto one diameter of bore. Furthermore, the single cylinder having no joint at its middle, like a compound cylinder composed of two cylinders united at their ends by langes and screws, is not liable, like the compound cylinder, to leak steam at ite middle. A piston-rod, C, extending through the partition B, and work-- ing in stungs or stuihng-rings old, properly applied thereto, carries ltwo heads or pistons D E, one of which is arranged on one side, and the other on the other Side ofthe partition B. Induction-passages or ports ef, lead from a steam-chest., F, into the interior or .bore of the cylinder, or other parte of it which are on opposite sides ofthe partition B, a valve, G, being employed to alternately open and close such ports. Furthermore, eduction-passages or ports, g L, lead out of the lower part of the cylinder. Each of these eduction-ports should be so arranged that when its piston is at its terminus of outward motion the port will be closed to and uncovered by the piston, which during its outward movement passes across and Abeyond the port, the same being in order to permit steam employed in propelling the piston to escape through the port.

The operation of the engine so constructed will be as follows: It' we suppose the parts to be in position, Shown in Iig. 1, steam will beiiowing through the induction-portf, and by its action against the piston E, it will propel such piston along in the cylinder, or away from the partition B, and the piston -D will be driven toward the said partition. As soon as the piston E may have passed beyond the eduction-port 7i, steam employed in propelling such piston will escape through the saidport.- At this moment the valve G should closc the pol-tf, and open the port e. Steam will then enter thc cylinder through such port and act against thc piston D, and propel it away from the partition B, until it may pass by the eduction-port g. This port then being open, and between the piston D and the partition B, steam used in so propelling theV piston' D will rush from the cylinder and escape through such port. Next, the steam should be made to propel the piston E, as before. Thus, a reciprocating` rectilinear motion will be imparted to the piston-rod. During cach-retreat or return-movement of each piston, provided a vacuum or partial vacuum between it and the partition B may have been produced in those parts of the cylinder by the escape of steam therefrom, the pressure of' the atmosphere on the piston will'operate 'to ai'd the steam in propelling the other piston, such aid depending on the excess of atmospheric pressure over the pressure ofthe steam which may remain between the retreating piston and the partition.

In order to attain the advantages of an atmospheric-engine combined with those of a higheprcssure steamengine, there may be combined with the improved engine exhibited in iig. 1, and above'described, a condenser or condensing-apparatus, and a pump for extracting the condensed steam from such apparatus. In Figure 3, I have shown such a combination. In such figure, t' and t are ports leading out ofthe cylinder A, on opposite sides ofthe partition B, and byrpipes Z'm toa cock, o, connecting with a condenser, H, arranged in a tank, K, containing water, there being a pump, I, applied to such condenser for extracting from it the water or condensed steam contained therein. The cock o is to alternately put the ports ik in communication with the condenser, one of them being out of communication, 'while the other is in communication therewith. By such means, it is believed, a vacuum may be produced in the cylinder, so as to cause the pressure of the atmosphere on the retreating piston to aid in accelerating or eiecting the advance ofthe other piston.

Having thus describedmy engine, what I claim as my invention, is vals follows:

I claim the improved engine, as described, viz, as madewith the cylinder A, the partition B, the two pistons D E, the rod C, the induction-ports ef, and eduction-ports g L, arranged in 'manner substantially as specified.

I also claim' the combination of the movable'partition B, its packing and clamp-screws, or the equivalents of the latter, with the cylinder A, provided with induction and eductionports, and two pistons D E, arranged so' as to operato asdescribed.

WM. 'l. OHAMBERLAIN.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, F. P. HALE,-J1. 

